Personal Growth

10 Self-Help Books Every Woman Needs

Some of us have low moments that last longer than others — perhaps months or years long. That’s where outside help comes in. If seeing a therapist or talking to a friend isn’t an option, there’s another avenue available for you: books.

Here are 10 self-help books to help you get over it, through it or beyond it:

1. “Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person” by ShondaRhimes

In Shonda Rhimes’s book, “Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person,” the writer of hit series “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” and producer of “How To Get Away With Murder” tells all regarding her struggles with not speaking her mind and raising her children.

Dealing with anxiety and resistance to all life had to offer, her sister gave her the idea to say yes to everything that scared her for a year, and so she did. What she learned is outlined in this book. Although it was originally published in 2015, the lessons are no less helpful to any woman that struggles with saying yes in their own lives today.

2. “You Are A Badass” by Jen Sincero

Simple and to the point, you are a badass and Jen Sincero wants you to know it. Filled with crass advice on how to create a life you absolutely love, “You Are A Badass” is the book to read if you want a swift kick in the pants to get up, figure it out and go for it.

3. “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear” by Elizabeth Gilbert

The famed author of “Eat Pray Love” came back with another book, this one strictly self-help instead of a biography. It’s your one-way ticket to creatively living your best life, whether that be through writing that book you never got around to or merely getting out of a rut.

Gilbert gives you her process on unlocking your innate creativity and shows you how to use it to get the most out of life.

4. “You Can Heal your Life” by Louise Hay

The beloved author of many self-help books as well as the creator of Hay House, the publishing company that publishes numerous well-known personal growth books yearly, Louise Hay wrote “You Can Heal Your Life” after she claimed to have healed herself from cancer with the power of positive thought.

Here, she gives her philosophy on how anyone can heal their life using affirmations and mirror work to shy away from stress. Although Hay passed away in 2017, her legacy lives on through the publishing house she built, her books and the many other authors’ voices that can now be heard due to her dedication to helping others.

If you’re the type that always seems to be running on no sleep, stressed out to all hell and can’t stop thinking, this may be the book for you. Pema Chodron has a different answer for stress and anxiety than the others in this list — she suggests you go toward the hard moments and sit in them.

Drawing from Buddhist wisdom, Chodron offers tools for transmuting misery and harmful patterns into effortless living and ceaseless bliss.

6. “Spark Joy” by Marie Kondo

Now known for her Netflix show “Tidying Up,” Marie Kondo was a best-selling author for years with her books “Spark Joy” and the “Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” In “Spark Joy,” she asks the reader the now-famous question, “Does it spark joy?” If it doesn’t, you know what to do — let it go.

In the book, Kondo also explains the art of Japanese decluttering in detail, showing the reader just how to organize their space and declutter both their mind and body from ailing thoughts and damaging habits.

7. “How to Get Sh*t Done: Why Women Need to Stop Doing Everything So They Can Achieve Anything” by Erin Falconer

Erin Falconer is the editor in chief and co-owner of the self-improvement site Pick the Brain. “How to Get Sh*t Done” is a book for anyone that is overwhelmed and guilt-ridden and takes on more than they know what to do with.

Falconer angles this for women, shying away from the general self-help tone that litters shelves. She understands that women face different challenges when it comes to taking care of ourselves and she shows us how to do less — much less. She focuses on three areas of your life where you want to succeed and shows you how to hone in on those areas, letting everything else go so you can feel better and succeed doing it.

8. “The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate” by Fran Hauser

This book took the world by storm in 2018, praised by media platforms nationwide. Once you pick up “The Myth of the Nice Girl” and read a few pages, it is easy to see why it was so loved.

Fran Hauser works to criticize the harmful perception of being “tough” in the workplace, which we all know is code for “b*tch.” Hauser uses personal experiences and tested strategies to show you how to reclaim “nice” and avoid regressive stereotypes about what a strong leader looks like in a woman.

9. “Girl Code” by Cara Alwill Leyba

This book was named one of the “Top 9 Inspiring Books Every Female Entrepreneur Should Read” by Inc. Magazine. The reason? The author, Cara Alwill Leyba, says in the book’s blurb, “Something dynamic happens when women genuinely show up for each other … When we talk about our fears, our missteps and our breakdowns. And most importantly, when we share our celebrations, our breakthroughs and our solutions.”

All about women empowerment, Leyba has crafted a book to celebrate women in the workplace, regardless of what that workplace happens to be. It focuses on building confidence in yourself, getting rid of jealousy and other distractions and utilizing the power of connection.

New York Times best-selling author and life coach Iyanla Vanzant confronts the human condition to resist by asking the question, “What if it’s not them — what if it’s you?”

Using the philosophy that everything we experience is a result of what we think, Vanzant offers 42 prayers and affirmations designed to eradicate negative thought patterns and let you get to the root of the unease in your life.

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Sheron is the author of the dark epic fantasy series, The Dark World, and writes under the pen name S.C. Parris. When she's not drinking tea and plotting her next word, she can be found on Twitter, where she makes known her love of vampires. She can also be found on her blog and her Patreon, where she writes bloody short stories for her subscribers.